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CUSTARD @ Badlands Bar gets 8/10

Custard @ Badlands
w/ The Community Chest
Saturday, September 15, 2018

8/10

Australian indie rock in the 90s gave rise to many great bands, but a lot of people hold a special place in their hearts for Custard. That was clear from the moment the band took the stage to a packed Badlands on Saturday night, rocking things out in their own unique way to a captivated and excited room of old 90s kids.

Touring their second album since reforming, last year’s The Common Touch, the Brisbane boys seem in fine form, with a swag full of classics alongside some new material that can hold up with the best of their illustrious back catalogue.

The Community Chest were in support featuring Adem K from Perth’s own indie 90s legends Turnstyle. They’ve been around a good few years and are great in their own right, less poppy and slower with more of a drone, shoegazey sound, and some great guitar work and sweet harmonies, with Adem singing alongside his wife Dee Kerimofski and fellow guitarist, Laurie Sinagra. It’s good to see the band playing again, and they were a great choice of support to build the mood, with a decent crowd digging their vibe.

Before Custard took the stage, the audience had swelled notably, packing the room and dancefloor. They took the stage to big cheers and kicked off in their trademark cheeky, irreverent style with Hit Song and Anatomically Correct. Hit Song never seemed more relevant, with the line, “I’m gonna buy me a hit song”.

They then moved into the first of the new material, with the opening track from the new album In The Grand Scheme Of Things (None Of This Really Matters).

Classic tune Pack Yr Suitcases from their debut album from 1994 Wahooti Fandango got a big response with its insistent beat. And another new song We Are The Parents (Our Parents Warned Us About) sounded great live. In fact most of the songs did. Custard were always a band best experienced live. Partly due to the energy and louder guitars, but also due to their onstage charisma and banter, especially singer/guitarist, Dave McCormack, who has lost nothing of his wacky sense of humour.

With a second album since reforming, Custard seem to be settling into touring like an old shoe. McCormack is backed melodically by the superb guitar work of Matthew Strong, an underrated guitarist. His lead riffs and heavily effected sound are an integral part of the band.

Meanwhile understated bass player Paul Medew keeps it locked down on the side with Glenn Thompson on drums. The sound in Badlands was superb all night. Well mixed, loud, clear and crisp instruments filled the cave of a room – shouts out to the sound crew for bringing out the best in the band.

1990s was a bit of a highlight, with a more relaxing, swinging beat, and a hilarious sequence with McCormack messing around on vocal effects, to make it sound like he was from the future.

McCormack then stepped aside, swapping positions with Thompson who stepped up to the mic to take over lead vocals for the next few tracks, including Contemporary Art and their ironic hit that he penned, Music Is Crap.

McCormack was back out front for a rocked up rendition of the wicked Pinball Lez. A punky little Pixies-esque number from 1997’s We Have The Technology, they then finished with their huge hit Apartment, which is just an awesome tune and sounds as great as ever.

The self-described old men were soon back for an encore that peaked with a huge version of (I Feel Like) Ringo featuring a fat, funky-ass disco bassline from Medew. They broke it right down to the bare bones of the thumping bass drum, with McCormack joking “Turn that knee up!”, before building it right back up again and all coming in together for a big singalong “R-I-N-G-O!”

They finished fittingly on an underrated classic from their back catalogue Caboolture Speed Lab. Towards the end the song speeds up, faster and faster, as they repeat the riff, building to a frantic fever pitch tempo while repeating the phrase “Get back into the here and now”.

They’ve still got the goods and had smiles plastered over all the faces in the room. Like the bunch of top blokes they are, the band hung around the bar, chatting and signing things, making many fans’ nights – the ultimate Custard experience.

ALFRED GORMAN

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